“Like a baby in a womb, I got lungs but I can’t breathe yet. One day I’m gonna try that, but right now I’ll wait on change! … Like a worm in a cocoon, I got wings but I can’t fly yet. One day I’m gonna try that, but right now I’ll wait on change.” Take a listen:

God has promised me a LOT. Some of those things, I’ve been blessed to see–or see the beginnings of. Once in awhile, however, it can be hard for me to remember that things take time. It can be hard to be grateful for the small beginnings, when I am so hungry to fly in all of it NOW. (I’m laughing at myself as I write this, because it sounds so silly. But if you’re anything like me at all, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about, so I’ll keep on.)

Have you ever had a day like that?

Days like that can be hard to handle in a godly manner. I was having one of those hard-to-handle-in-a-godly-manner days yesterday.

I vented to a friend of mine about it… but I shouldn’t have, because my thoughts were NOT full of ANY fruit of the Spirit, I can assure you. So now I’m going to have to go apologize and repent to him today; I should have kept my mouth shut.

Then I came home, turned in early, and spent some time reading the words of Jesus in the book of John, plus the Psalms, before I went to sleep.

It helped. But it didn’t fix everything.

Because you know what I really needed on a day like that?

I needed reassurance from the Lord. I needed a right-now word of encouragement directly from Him. I needed Him to tell me, personally, that He hadn’t forgotten me and it was going to be ok.

So I went to Him again this morning… and He was so gracious.

First, I claimed the promise that He spoke in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” I said, “Lord Jesus, I’m coming to You. I’m weary and heavy-laden. Please help me.”

As soon as I prayed that, I saw a picture in my mind’s eye of Jesus standing right in front of me, where I was. He was so clear and beautiful that His bigness, and the peace that emanated from His very presence, eclipsed all my pain and worry and burdens. When I looked at Him, I felt the burdens fall away, and I had rest. It was so beautiful. I needed rest, desperately.

Then I began reading Isaiah 55 and 56, and you know what? Papa spoke to me. I desperately needed to hear from Him, and He did not let me down.

Isaiah 55:5 is a verse that God has used for years to affirm His call on my life. When I read that verse, it just leaped off the page at me. Especially the first word: “Surely.” That first word was significant today, because I felt like Papa was saying:

I know where you are. I know how you’ve struggled the last few days. But you know what? It doesn’t negate My call on your life. Even though you’ve been discouraged, My call is still on your life, and you will fulfill it. SURELY.”

Then He took me to Isaiah 56:1:

Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.”

That was the right-now, “rhema” word that I needed. Papa was saying:

Hang in there. Keep behaving righteously. Don’t give up! Keep acting the way I want you to act! I’m going to come through for you. You’re so close! Hang on!”

It’s one thing to know it, but it’s another thing to hear Him say it. I needed to hear Him say it–again–desperately.

So keep justice! Do righteousness! His salvation is coming! He will not let you down!

Hang in there!

Do what it takes to stay focused on Jesus and rest in Him. Get alone with God. Get a right-now word from Him out of His Word; His words spoken into your spirit will carry you through.

If you feel like you have lungs but you can’t breathe yet–wings but you can’t fly yet–you’re not alone. But God is faithful. The same God who has always been faithful to you will continue to be faithful to you.

Are you waiting for God to do something specific in your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject. How would you encourage others who are also waiting? Leave a comment below!

A note about comments:

Sometimes, though, because my schedule is so intense between my family, my day job, and my church, it takes me a few days to respond to comments. Not always, but sometimes, and I apologize for the delay. I get 'em right away, though, and I start praying for you right away if you've asked for prayer, and I'll respond as soon as possible.